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Shailene Reveals Brutal 'Divergent' Fight Scenes

By Bryan Lynn 3:12 PM PDT, July 19, 2013

The action thriller Divergent is already being considered one of next year's most anticipated movies and has frequently been compared to The Hunger Games because of its built-in fan base of young loyal followers. So what better place to tease the movie than Comic-Con, where Shailene Woodley and other cast members spilled some details about the upcoming futuristic flick!

Shailene said she got a first look at scenes from the movie and feels that fans of the best-selling novel by Veronica Roth the film is based on will not be disappointed. "I did get to see the footage we're showing and I'm very excited about it. I think people are really going to respond. It's very different from anything that I've seen before in a young adult movie."

The Secret Life of the American Teenager star also revealed that she takes part in some pretty rough battle scenes. "There's a lot of fight scenes and a lot of close-ups of people getting hit in the face and people getting, especially (her character) Tris. And getting run down over and over and over again, and then bringing yourself back up and finding the courage to keep going."

Divergent is set in a futuristic world in which society has been divided into five factions. As each person approaches adulthood, he or she must choose a faction and commit to it for the rest of their life. Tris Prior (Shailene) chooses Dauntless -- comprised of daring risk-takers who pursue bravery above all else. But when she discovers she is a Divergent -- someone who will never be able to fit into just one faction -- she is warned that she must conceal her secret identity or risk her life.

Another star, After Earth's Zoe Kravitz, said the film differs from others in the genre because it takes place in an actual known place. "The world that Veronica (Roth) created was just so interesting. Setting it in Chicago -- a place that we know -- there's something very eerie about that," she said. "You know, people create these post-apocalyptic worlds that are completely made up, but this is something that we can see -- how it's changed and how it's fallen to nothing, and that's really creepy to me."

Nikita star Maggie Q calls the project a "modern coming of age" film and explains why she was so excited to get involved. "It was a little bit shocking and interesting to me. And obviously the potential for growth with these characters was always fascinating to me," she said. "But societal themes too were something that I thought were cool to delve into. It was something I looked forward to and I thought that Neil (director Neil Burger) did a great job. I can't wait to see it."

Watch the video to also hear Maggie talk about meeting the movie's loyal fanbase at Comic-Con and to learn why cast member Mekhi Phifer thinks Divergent is going to be one of the most-talked-about films when it premieres on March 21, 2014.